Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Friday 6 August 1999

Scottish Executive

Environment

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning in domestic premises in Scotland.

Sarah Boyack: Consumer protection and Health and Safety at work are reserved matters. Responsibility for promoting awareness in the UK lies with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), whose publicity campaigns to increase awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning include Scotland.

  As part of its ongoing national programme on home safety awareness, the DTI last year issued 20 million safety leaflets enclosed with gas bills to alert the public to the dangers of carbon monoxide. The bills also carried an ‘on-bill’ Government safety message. In addition to this, leaflets were placed in GPs surgeries throughout the UK and TV advertising further raised public awareness.

  The HSE has an ongoing programme providing guidance with an emphasis on the legislative aspects of gas safety. They also issued millions of leaflets last year in a national campaign. The HSE are at present conducting a fundamental review of the Health and Safety regime for the installation and use of gas to consider and determine the extent of any changes necessary to the current system. The document should be ready for public consultation later in the year.

  The Chief Medical Officer wrote to all doctors in Scotland on 7 September 1998 to promote greater vigilance amongst health professionals of the signs and symptoms of CO exposure in their patients.

Finance

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the expected total cost of Scottish Executive Ministerial salaries for the current financial year and each of the next three financial years and to break the cost down for each Minister.

Mr Jack McConnell: Salaries are set at £33,360 for Ministers and £17,305 for Deputy Ministers, with the exceptions of the First Minister (£64,308), the Lord Advocate (£86,186) and the Solicitor General (£73,755). Scottish Ministerial salaries, therefore, should total £697,539 in the current year.

  It is not possible to say what the equivalent costs will be in each of the next 3 financial years. The Review Body on Senior Salaries recommended that salaries for Ministers should be uprated each year in line with the mid-points of Senior Civil Service pay bands below Permanent Secretary. We cannot anticipate what this uprate will be.

Gaelic

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to appoint a Gaelic Officer to promote the development of the Gaelic language and to be responsible for liaison with interested organisations and co-ordination of Gaelic issues within the Scottish Administration.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: Within the Scottish Executive, responsibility for liaison with organisations with an interest in Gaelic and the co-ordination of Gaelic issues generally is already assigned to officials in the Arts and Cultural Heritage Division of the Education Department.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the number of people who were admitted for emergency fracture surgery in the last year to Ayr Hospital and Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock.

Susan Deacon: In the year ending 31 December 1998, 672 patients were admitted for emergency fracture surgery to Ayr Hospital and 1032 patients were admitted for the same treatment to Crosshouse Hospital. (Source: ISD, Scotland Form SMR01).

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new social landlords proposed under the New Housing Partnerships Programme will have to be incorporated as Industrial and Provident Societies, to become Registered Social Landlords.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Social landlords receiving funds under the 1999-2002 New Housing Partnerships bidding round are required to become Registered Social Landlords with Scottish Homes. Registered Social Landlords may be either Industrial and Provident Societies or companies, but are required by Scottish Homes to meet the same registration criteria including being non-profit distributing.

Planning

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether in the light of the ongoing review of Minerals Policy Guidance 6 in England and Wales, it intends to review National Policy Guidance 4 in relation to use of land for mineral working and, if so, when.

Sarah Boyack: Revised guidance on opencast coal was published in March 1999. This replaced paragraph 74-78 of NPPG 4. As with all planning guidance, the remainder of NPPG 4 will be kept under review although there are no plans at present to update the non-coal aspects of the guidance.

Rural Affairs

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will explain the rationale behind the decision to keep the minutes of discussion in the National Goose Forum confidential.

Sarah Boyack: The National Goose Forum decided that, in order to encourage full and frank discussion of the complex and sensitive issues which Ministers asked it to address, the minutes of its discussions should be confidential. It has, however, prepared and updated regularly a progress report which has been sent to anyone wishing information on the work of the Forum.

Transport

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what priority is being given to the maintenance and upgrading of Dunoon Pier as part of an integrated ferry transport policy.

Sarah Boyack: Dunoon Pier is owned by Argyll and Bute Council and its maintenance and upgrading is a matter for the Council. However, the Government has made allowances for Argyll and Bute’s special needs in respect of piers and harbours generally, by providing additional resources to the council through a special needs allowance through the non-housing capital allocation formula.

Transport

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the progress to date and timescales for the building of the M74 extension between Parkhead and the Kingston Bridge, and of how it will be financed.

Sarah Boyack: The M74 Northern Extension is one of 17 major road schemes being considered in the Strategic Roads Review. I expect to report to Parliament on the review after the summer recess.

Transport

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support Glasgow City Council in implementing traffic reduction measures and improvements in public transport in the Glasgow area as an alternative to building the M74 extension.

Sarah Boyack: Glasgow City Council has already been awarded £4.75m from the Public Transport Fund towards the cost of developing the Faifley to Baillieston bus corridor. Bids for   the next round of allocations are due by 16 August and I am looking forward to receiving a range of innovative initiatives to improve public transport.

  Local authorities are also due to submit draft local transport strategies by 30 July. I expect these to contain proposals to reduce traffic, to promote public transport and to explain how proposals for new road building contribute to the integrated and sustainable transport strategy to which the Scottish Executive is committed.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the names of all those who applied for the position of chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne, the names of those selected for interview and the criteria against which the candidates interviewed were judged.

Sarah Boyack: The advertisement for the post of Chairman to Caledonian MacBrayne Limited stated that all applications would be treated strictly in confidence. It would therefore, be a breach of that confidence to name the applicants who applied for this appointment. I can however, advise that forty one applications were received and five candidates were interviewed. The criteria were decided at the outset and included:

  analytical and strategic skills;

  effective presentational communication and negotiating skills;

  ability to provide direction;

  strong leadership;

  inspiration and motivation for the CalMac Board and staff;

  excellent chairmanship ability;

  broad knowledge of Highlands and Islands issues;

  knowledge of passenger ferry services;

  knowledge of NDPBs/Nationalised Industries and the Public Policy Framework; broad knowledge of transport issues;

  proven experience at board level in the areas of commerce, finance or shipping; and

  qualifications and/or experience in relevant subjects and issues (eg commerce, finance or shipping/transport).

  All candidates were advised of and assessed against these criteria.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made or intends to make any representations to the Secretary of State for Transport, Environment and the Regions in regard to his decision under the Merchant Shipping Act 1985 to prohibit the MV Greenpeace from entering UK territorial waters, including waters surrounding Scotland and, if it has, to provide details of such representations.

Sarah Boyack: No. Matters concerning maritime safety and the international law of the sea are reserved to the UK Gove